New Wear Crossing centrepiece will arrive in Sunderland today

David Allison

The centrepiece of the New Wear Crossing will sail into Sunderland this afternoon.

Crowds are expected to gather at the seafront to watch the 100metre A-frame pylon arrive off the Port of Sunderland at around 1pm.

Aerial pictures of the new Wear Crossing taken by Airfotos.

The 100m steel structure was moved from a fabrication yard in Belgium last month and transported via canal to the Port of Ghent, from where it was loaded on to a barge that set sail to Sunderland.

The pylon has been created with more than 1,000 tonnes of steel and 550 tonnes of concrete.

The new bridge will feature dual, two-lane carriageways for vehicles and cycle and pedestrian routes, with transport chiefs hoping it will improve links to the city centre and Port of Sunderland from the A19 and A1 and journey times around the city.

It will connect Castletown with Pallion, opening up land along the Wear for regeneration, as well as help to create up to 6,000 new jobs for the area.

The New Wear crossing from above. Picture: Airfotos.

Meanwhile, these stunning pictures show how work is taking shape to create the new Wear Crossing.

Aerial pictures taken by Airfotos illustrate how progress is being made on the site - which it’s claimed will help to provide the city with a huge jobs boost in the coming years.

The pictures were taken from a photographer onboard the company’s Cessna 172SP Survey Aircraft.

Jonathan Rasmussen, of Airfotos, who grew up in the Thornhill area of the city, said he wants to show Wearsiders what to expect as bridge work carries on.

You will be ablke to watch the A-frame pylon arrive today. Picture: Airfotos.

“We were going between jobs when I suggested going over the area where the bridge is to get some pictures of it,” said the 27-year-old, who now lives in Tynemouth.

“You can’t see a lot of the site from the city centre area, but when you are directly above it, you can really see the infrastructure which is in place.

“It brings it to life a lot more than an artist’s impression can.

“I’m sure we’ll be flying back over the bridge when it’s finished.”

The construction programme is now past the halfway stage, with work expected to be completed by spring 2018.